Wet Coop bedding

[LaurasLeonard]

Any opinions on using wood pellets in coop? It was suggested, I understand the pellets are also used in horse stalls. California is having a lot of rain (yea) but coop is wet in areas. Any suggestion is welcome. Thank you!

 

[Jackie2062]

Hello, this is my first time posting.  I am a new chicken mom.  I am trying to solve our chicken coop mystery.  Our chickens have a large 12x18 outdoor run that has natural cover from trees and a small (kit from tractor supply) coop with nest boxes.  Our birds are a mixed flock - 2 orpingtons that we purchased as laying hens, and 2 (2 roosters and a hen) that were hatched out at my school ( I am a teacher) that are meat birds.  They have free access to the pen and coop all day, but they put themselves to bed at dusk.  Their food and water are outside.  The coop has spots for 2 low roosts, but the meat chickens cannot use them and typically knock them over.  

Sorry for the novel length description, but the problem we have right now is that the coop bedding (pine shavings and hay in the nest boxes) is getting increasingly damp.  We live in the Carolina's and have humid weather all year round.  Our bedding system worked GREAT in the summer and we hand little smell and nice clean birds.  Now that winter has arrived, it does not seem to be drying and I am now bedding a shallow layer and cleaning everyday and it is still smellier than I would like.  My meat birds also have dirty breast and belly feathers.

What am I doing wrong?  
Help from a chicken newbie in NC

 

[Jackie2062]

Hello, this is my first time posting.  I am a new chicken mom.  I am trying to solve our chicken coop mystery.  Our chickens have a large 12x18 outdoor run that has natural cover from trees and a small (kit from tractor supply) coop with nest boxes.  Our birds are a mixed flock - 2 orpingtons that we purchased as laying hens, and 2 (2 roosters and a hen) that were hatched out at my school ( I am a teacher) that are meat birds.  They have free access to the pen and coop all day, but they put themselves to bed at dusk.  Their food and water are outside.  The coop has spots for 2 low roosts, but the meat chickens cannot use them and typically knock them over.  

Sorry for the novel length description, but the problem we have right now is that the coop bedding (pine shavings and hay in the nest boxes) is getting increasingly damp.  We live in the Carolina's and have humid weather all year round.  Our bedding system worked GREAT in the summer and we hand little smell and nice clean birds.  Now that winter has arrived, it does not seem to be drying and I am now bedding a shallow layer and cleaning everyday and it is still smellier than I would like.  My meat birds also have dirty breast and belly feathers.

What am I doing wrong?  
Help from a chicken newbie in NC

sorry begginner at this posting stuff. I have raised chickens for decades now. Many people scare everyone into overcare. Too much humidity, too much this, too little of that. Look, the honest truth is the pioneers had chickens and didn't do this expensive treatments. Just keep the coop as clean as you can each day. The dirt comes from outside and all chickens roll in it. Check for mites. Use poultry safe garden powder when the chickens are outside. It settles fast. And I use a milk heater that I hang from the ceiling. It self adjusts and if knocked, goes out immediately. That's why they use them in barns. My chickens free range in all weather including rain. At the end of the day, sometimes they go to bed soaking wet. Their beddings are always dry. And I have eggs year round. I learned the hard way, to much fuss will cause exactly what you have been fighting against.